Whereas some filmmakers prefer to stick with one mode or another, the Coen Bros. have shown an ability to leap from Depression-era Greek musical epic to ’90s stoner neo-noir comedy to violent Oscar-winning thriller. Their newest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, sees them dropping by ’60s New York for an intimate character study of a folk musician.

Oscar Isaac stars as the title character, who’s loosely based on real-life singer Dave Von Ronk. Backing him up are an intriguing supporting cast, including Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, and Garrett Hedlund, and a poignant soundtrack mostly comprised of folk covers. Watch the newest trailer and get the soundtrack info after the jump.

There’s a new film from Joel and Ethan Coen this year, and that is a wonderful thing. The first footage we saw from the movie, Inside Llewyn Davis, announced a preview screening and introduced us to the folk singer played by Oscar Issac, and to characters played by Carey Mulligan, John Goodman and a few others. (Along with a cute cat.)

A new red-band trailer changes just a few things from that first look — a bit of Carey Mulligan’s dialogue is cut, as is one telling shot of John Goodman, and there are a few extra shots at the end to help ID the cast. (As with the prior trailer, this is “red-band” only for a bit of cursing.) Not that the changes really matter, as the effect is much the same. If you didn’t see the screening invite trailer when we posted it in January, here’s your chance to follow along.

Look at it this way: the takeaway here is that this trailer has just a bit of new footage, and for Coen fans that’s probably enough. There’s also a new poster to go along with the film’s Cannes debut. Both are below. Read More »

Good news for Coen Brothers fans: the pair’s new film, Inside Lleywn Davis, has a home. CBS Films bought the movie for US theatrical distribution. We don’t have a release date yet, though we can likely expect to see it this year. A trailer for the film was released in January, but that won’t be the final look at the indie that Joel and Ethan Coen shot last year. (The movie was the first one they did in many years without any studio or distributor backing.)

The film stars Oscar Isaac as the title character, a folk singer navigating life in New York in the ’60s. The supporting cast includes Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, and Justin Timberlake. Read More »

For their follow-up to 2010’s True Grit, Joel and Ethan Coen are heading to a whole other time and place. Based on the memoir The Mayor of MacDougal Street by musician Dave Van Ronk, Inside Llewyn Davis follows the a rising singer-songwriter (Oscar Isaac) through the folk music scene in ’60s New York. The film’s been at the top of my most-anticipated list pretty much since the moment I heard about it, and today we finally have a look at some footage. Watch the first trailer after the jump, but be warned that it contains a bit of salty language.

On the Roadis one of those books people live their life by. It changes perception. People read and reread it, discuss its particulars, and keep a copy in their luggage when they decide to act on its inspiration and go on a trip just like the characters Dean Moriarty, Sal Paradise and Marylou. Most of the time filming a work of literary genius like that is near impossible, especially one that lacks a traditional narrative structure. The film version of On the Road just about gets it right.

Director Walter Salles and screenwriter Jose Rivera have done as good a job of translating Kerouac’s tone and pace as possible with On the Road. Starring Garrett Hedlund (in the role of his career), Kristen Stewart, Sam Riley and featuring supporting performances by Viggo Mortensen, Amy Adams, Elizabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst and others, the film echoes the free and easy tone defined by the book, filled with travel, drugs, sex, and philosophy. The question is: does that make for an entertaining film? The answer is complicated.

On the Road opens on December 21, but recently played as part of the AFI Fest Presented by Audi. Read more below.

We’ve already seen a couple of trailers for Walter Salles‘ adaptation of Jack Kerouac‘s Beat classic On the Road, but the latest to hit may be the most arresting one yet. Thanks to sharp editing and a relentless pounding drumbeat, it does a fairly good job of capturing the heady exuberance of being young and carefree, hopped up on drugs, and in pursuit of the next awesome thing.

Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, and Kristen Stewart star as the central trio of Dean Moriarty, Sal Paradise, and Marylou as they journey across America, crossing paths with all manner of people along the way. The star-studded supporting cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Tom Sturridge, Steve Buscemi, Elisabeth Moss, Alice Braga, and Terrence Howard. Check out the video after the jump.

The release of Walter Salles‘ film version of Jack Kerouac‘s generational signpost novel On the Road rolls ever closer, following the film’s relatively successful bow at Cannes this past May. Not having a lot of interest in Kerouac at this point, I’m still very interested in the film to see how actors like Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart do with their roles; both look a lot more energized than we often see from them. And then there’s Viggo Mortensen as a vague version of William S. Burroughs. I’d see just about any movie for that alone.

A new UK trailer has hit, and it gives us a bit more of all the elements of the film: the actors, the period recreation, the music, and a taste of the text through the trailer voiceover. Check it out below. Read More »

Robert Pattinson and Taylor Kitsch have already shutdown rumors that they were being eyed for the key role of Finnick Odair in Francis Lawrence‘s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Now Nina Jacobson has stepped up to cross off the other two names on the alleged shortlist, Garrett Hedlund and Armie Hammer. According to the producer, not only are the rising stars not on the shortlist, there’s actually no shortlist at all at this point. More details after the jump.

With any popular franchise, each subsequent sequel brings new, exciting characters and The Hunger Games is no exception. In Catching Fire, the second book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy, Finnick Odair is the stand out. He’s a handsome, brash, outgoing and athletic former winner of the Games who finds himself tangled up with Katniss and Peeta. (I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoilers for now.)

When I spoke to The Hunger Gamesdirector Gary Ross before the release of the first film, he said he had some ideas on the casting of this wildly popular character. Now that’s Francis Lawrence‘s job. Fan-choice Robert Pattinson is out but, according to E! the short list contains three worthy names: Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch and Garrett Hedlund. Read more after the jump. Read More »